A coat of armour comprising one or more pieces of bronze, iron or chain mail covering the chest and back to protect the heart and other vital organs. Used figuratively it refers to righteousness, faith and love.
Breastplates were coats or tunics of armour
They were part of military dress
2 Chronicles 26:14 See also 1 Samuel 17:5, 1 Samuel 17:38; 2 Samuel 20:8
Uzziah supplied the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and slingstones.
They were worn by soldiers
2 Samuel 20:8 See also Nehemiah 4:16; Jeremiah 46:4, Jeremiah 51:3
And while they were at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa joined them. Now Joab was dressed in military attire, with a dagger strapped to his belt. And as he stepped forward, he slipped the dagger from its sheath.
Bronze breastplates
and he had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore a bronze coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels,
Iron breastplates
They also had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.
Those wearing breastplates were not impregnable
1 Kings 22:34 parallel 2 Chronicles 18:33 See also 1 Samuel 31:3; 1 Kings 20:11
However, a certain man drew his bow without taking special aim, and he struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So the king said to his charioteer, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded!”
The breastplate was often referred to figuratively
As a picture of righteousness
He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on His head; He put on garments of vengeance and wrapped Himself in a cloak of zeal.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed,
As a picture of faith and love
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.
As a picture of invincibility
See also Revelation 9:9
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.